Kodak Essay

1592 Words4 Pages

1. Evaluate Kodak's strategy in traditional photography. Why has the company been so successful throughout the history of the industry?
From the very begging Kodak’s strategy was based on innovation and consumer focus policy.
By creating an innovative product, which was anticipating customers needs and was “a user friendly product” Kodak became a leader in industry. George Eastman had been able to create value, to capture value and to deliver value. With the slogan "you press the button, we do the rest," George Eastman introduced the first Kodak camera to the world, in 1888. He used a razorblade strategy, selling cameras at low cost, but profiting on film sales. They have based their business on the model of selling cameras at low prices and keeping the focus on consumable products such as film. Early success helped Kodak to have all necessary recourses to invest in
R&D and as a result Kodak could sell color film earlier than other companies. From one hand
Kodak was able to increase demand on traditional photography and from other hand he created new market segments by introducing medical imagining and graphic arts. Highly inventive, very innovative and successfully rolling out new, sustaining innovations- that’s how Kodak’s strategy can be evaluated.
Continuous innovation with consumer focus, quality product, mass production at the low cost, international distribution, extensive advertisement, growth trough continues research, aggressive marketing and excellent know-how played key role in Kodak’s success. This mix left no competitors to Kodak.
2. Compare traditional photography to digital imaging. What are the main structural differences? Will digital imaging replace traditional imaging? How have value creation and value appropr...

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...l imaging a disruptive innovation or not? If so, what incumbents should do in these case to avoid their decline?
This case is good example of how historically successful company struggled between sustaining innovation and disruptive innovation. Digital imagining is disruptive innovation because it pulled out customers out of the traditional photography, helped to create a new market and value network, where non-consumption must be overcome. The approach of disruptive innovation is new market disruptions. Digital imagining disrupted and displaced traditional photography.
Because of the fear of cannibalizing product sales Kodak was unable to capitalize on the digital camera invention.
In order to exploit disruptive innovation Kodak was suppose to recognize changes on time, to have quick response to these changes and to have ability of re-positioning in new environment.

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